The Storm
by Kou-kun
Summary: Ino and Shikamaru are training when a storm hits, and dramatic events follow. ShikaIno, obviously.


Slamming the door, Ino ran out into the street. The rain was pounding down on her skin, and her tears hell just as freely. Running through the unpaved road, Ino splashed through mudpuddles and kicked up stones. Lightning flickered and the thunder boomed, the sky pouring itself down onto her as an expression of her own emotions. Ino tried to keep running, but soon after leaving Shikamaru's house, she tripped and fell.   
  
Crashing into the ground, Ino held her bleeding arm. After a few moments of wincing and crying, she rolled onto her back, letting the mud soak into her wound. She screamed in frustration and sadness, her vision pouring over with tears.  
  
"FIVE DAYS AGO ALL I CARED ABOUT WAS MY HAIR!!" She yelled into nowhere, her voice drowned out by the rain.   
  
"AND NOW.... now..." Ino squinted her eyes, rolling onto her bad side and trying to push herself up and failing as another crack of lighting flashed. Face resting on the muddy ground, Ino shivered. Closing her eyes for just longer than a blink and opening them again, Ino saw a figure through the rain.   
  
"Shikamaru! Go AWAY!!" Ino flipped over and pushed herself up again. Standing on shaky legs, she started to run, stumbling and pushing heself up again. Collapsing, Ino put all her strength into pushing herself up. She felt a hand on her arm, standing as it supported her. Shikamaru wrapped her arm around him, helping her limp towards his house.   
  
"Shikamaru! I don't want your help!" Ino yelled, trying to pull out of his gentle yet strong grip.   
  
"But you need it."   
  
Ino paused, looking at his rainsoaked face as the lightning flickered. Tears once again welled up and more of her weight leaned on the intelligent boy as she sobbed. He didn't falter, but carried her up the porch steps and pushed the door open. Sitting her on a nearby armchair and leaving to grab an ankle wrap and some warm water.  
  
Ino shut her eyes tight against the scenery, remembering the scene that had taken place in that room minutes before.   
  
*!*!*!*!*!Flashback*!*!*!**!*!  
  
Ino warmed herself in front of the fireplace, waiting out the storm at her affiliate's house. Shikamaru walked in, placing a bowl of ramen in front of her. Staring at the bowl by her feet for a moment, Ino thought  
  
'I'm on a diet..' but shook the thought from her head as she lifted the food greatfully.  
  
"Thanks." Silence was Shikamaru's only answer, and as the two ate, the storm intensified.  
  
"Pretty bad out there." Shikamaru paused, looking out the window. "Only a half hour ago we were out there training. Came on fast."   
  
Ino simply nodded as she continued to gaze into the fire.   
  
"Ino?" Shikamaru's voice was even and calm, but still different somehow from the way he usually talked. More.... interested.  
  
"Mm?"   
  
"... What's wrong?" Shikamaru placed his still half-full bowl down, kneeling beside his teammate. Ino, looking up, realized she was crying. Before she knew it, she was pouring out her problems to him.  
  
"....Things are suddenly so complex for me. I'm not ready for this. I should be conceited and ignorant, only caring about my hair and nails... not this... just.. not this..."  
  
"What do you mean? You only act conceited because it's what people say you are like. Besides, nothing really changed for you to think differently than you usually do." Shikamaru talked unnervingly expressive, showing pure curiosity in his friend's problem.   
  
"That's exactly it. Nothing has changed. I go about my ways, and I do the same things I would before... but... I just woke up and started thinking more. I realized that I'm not strong, that I'll never get Sasuke. It depresses me." Ino had calmed a little, finishing her ramen and sighing.   
  
".. If you know that Sasuke doesn't like you, why don't you give up on him?" Shikamaru had been waiting a long time for this opportunity, and now that Ino had matured, he took it. "Go for someone who doesn't see you as conceited, like you said. Go for someone who'll notice you've changed. Who notices you in general."   
  
Ino looked down at the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. "No one sees me that way." Climbing up onto an armchair, Ino silently stared into the fire.   
  
Shikamaru's mind raced. He frowned in frustration, contemplating the situation. No choice had ever been so difficult for him, his intelligence had always led him in the right direction. But this was something his intelligence had no impact on. He shut out all his logical thoughts and sighed quietly, moving to sit in front of Ino, facing her. He looked directly into her expression, easing his frown.   
  
"I'm sure someone does." His stomach wrenched as Ino held in a sob. "So just.. don't.. cry." Shikamaru turned his head, frowning yet again as he forced himself to follow out on his decision.  
  
"Sh.. Shikamaru?" Ino mumbled, her eyes closed. The boy swung his head around, gazing at her. She shuddered, and a tear fell. Unexpectantly, Shikamaru's body forced him to wrap his arms around her whispering into her ear.   
  
"I told you not to cry."   
  
"How do you do it? How do you live, being so intelligent... knowing about all the problems in life... how do you do it?" Ino shuddered in his arms, and he relaxed a little, looking into her eyes.  
  
"Intelligence is something so far from maturity, Ino. I've never really thought about things like that." As their gaze met, they both paused a moment.   
  
"You've got blue eyes..." He leaned in, so they were nose to nose. Unblinking, he froze under her welcoming blue look. Lips locking, they revelled in the moment. Warmth shooting through Shikamaru's body, a blush crawled up his face. Hugging her tighter, he let his lips loosen and pulled back.   
  
"No matter what.. even if nothing comes out of this moment... you've got my support, as a friend, or as more." Shikamaru's blush stayed, as did his arms around her. Soon, though, he felt her pushing him away.   
  
"No, No." She got up, wiping her eyes and turning to the door. "No."   
  
"Ino.. Ino please..."   
  
"No!" Ino was shocked at the harshness in her voice.  
  
"Ino... Am I not good enough or something? What is it that Sasuke does to you? Is it him that's holding you back? Or.... Jesus, Ino, I'll do anything!" He yelled, his voice still calm, but loud. Panic entered his tone as she walked out the door, the word 'anything' cut off by a slam.   
  
*!*!*!*!*!*!Flashback Ended*!*!*!**!*!*!*!*!  
  
Ino shuddered as she felt a damp cloth cleaning the wound on her arm. Opening her eyes, she saw a bandage on her twisted ankle. Her vision almost hurt, if that was possible. Attempting to stand, she felt an arm holding back.   
  
"Shikamaru, let me leave." Ino spoke monotonously, no leak of emotion working it's way into her voice.   
  
"No. It's still raining, and you're too exhausted from training.. and.. other things." Shikamaru didn't want to bring up the topic, but the moment was so tense it was constantly on his mind.  
  
"So."   
  
"It told you, I'm gonna support you whether we're friends or more. We're friends, right?" Shikamaru's voice cracked, but he tried to cover it.   
  
"We never were before now, so why should I just change?" Ino was still trying to get up, and still getting held back.   
  
"You said so yourself, you've already changed." Ino paused at this, sittin down with her back to the boy.   
  
"So come on, I'll teach you Go or something while we wait out the storm." Shikamaru turned to her and held out his hand, helping her up to the warmer area around the fireplace.   
  
"Be right back." He mumbled, climbing the stairs. Ino leaned up against the wall beside the fireplace, sighing and leaning her head back as she closed her eyes in exhaustion.  
  
"What a day..." she mumbled to herself as Shikamaru trotted back down. He tossed her one of his sweaters, and sat down acrossed from her, setting up a game of Go.   
  
"Here, keep warm." He said as she put on the sweater, crossing her legs and listening to him as he explained the game. She kept her eyes open and listened, but she didn't hear words. Her mind still wandered, not to the incedent but just to a solitary place of thought. She listened to his voice, heard it and memorized it, but not the words he spoke.   
  
"Ino?" Ino shook herself out of a daze. Grinning, Shikamaru pointed to the board. "Unless you weren't listening, counter my move." A piece had been moved. Ino stared blankly at the game.  
  
"Uhh...." She laughed, grinning back up at Shikamaru. As he packed up the game, he was still smiling to himself.   
  
"I'll teach you some other time if you want. Right now you seem a little dazed." Ino nodded, unable to talk as she giggled. Both were laughing uncontrollably, although nothing had been all that funny. They both just felt like laughing, their stress and tenseness lifting of their shoulders as the cozy room filled with cheeriness. For the next hour, The two chattered about various things, the night's events forgotten.  
  
"So then Chouji was trying to run, but you know how he ALWAYS eats... Sakura was just FREAKING. Seriously, you should've been there. I can't BELIEVE he would just walk right in to the girl's baths.." Shikamaru laughed quietly, a grin crossing his face. He glanced up to the window, and stopped talking.  
  
"Oh, the storm stopped." They were both silent, but the awkwardness of it all forced Ino into another fit of laughter.   
  
"I think I'll stay." She looked into his eyes, smiling, and knew that she should have never doubted herself. They both understood the moment, and crawling up onto the couch, they rested in each other's arms, their eyes closed until the morning. 


End file.
